An Unwanted Guest

by Shari Lapena

How does a modern marriage survive all the forces that converge to tear it apart? Too much familiarity, the dreariness of domesticity, of paying bills, raising children. Of having full-time jobs and always too much to do.

But one person can’t be responsible for another person’s happiness. She is responsible for her own. He can’t make her happy.

He loved her once. She’s the mother of his children. He simply doesn’t love her anymore. And he has no idea what to do about it.

She wouldn’t mind escaping into a book. Her own life is far from perfect.

She thinks often of how lucky she is, of how awful it must be for most women—to marry and have children on a budget.

There’s something about exceptionally beautiful women, Lauren has noticed, that makes them think they’re entitled to anything they want.

Her features are subdued rather than flamboyant, the kind of face he imagines he could look at for a long time.

She can’t just throw everything aside and do what she wants so that she can be happy. Women don’t get to make fools of themselves like that. Society won’t let them. But men do it all the time.

but you must take good things when and where you find them. They are rare enough.

But it was wearying to be constantly caught between the two women, unable to entirely please—or appease—either one of them. Last night, his exasperation had gotten the better of him.

Trauma changes people.

He’s learned that people will believe what they want to believe. And it’s truly frightening how easily they’ll believe it.

they seemed to think that even the financially secure could never be too greedy.

All she thinks about is duty. The tyranny of the shoulds. I should do this, or you should do that. You should be home more. You should spend more time with the kids. You should try for a promotion.